JargonBuster
Manimals
The organic blending of human and animal tissue / DNA .
Brand
An identifying mark burned on livestock or ( especially in former times ) criminals or slaves with a branding iron - “ the brand on a sheep identifies it as mine ” synonyms : make , line , label , marque ;
Agenda
Somebody who either feels they have no gender identity , or who identify not as male or female but ‘ neutral .’
Aporagender
A fairly new word stemming from the Greek ‘ apor ’, meaning ‘ separate ’. Aporagender is an umbrella term meaning “ a gender separate from male , female and anything in between while still having a very strong and specific gendered feeling .” That latter part is key , then , distinguishing it from Agender .
Bigender
Relatively straightforward : a bigender person sees themselves as having two gender identities . The separate genders could both be male , or female , mixed or other – and may be felt at the same time or entirely distinctly .
Butch
Used as both a noun and an adjective , this refers to a person who identifies as masculine ( either physically , mentally or emotionally ). The term is occasionally used as a lesbian slur , but has been reclaimed by some gay women and turned into a affirmative label .
Cisgender
Pronounced “ siss-gender ”, this refers to anybody who identifies with the same biological gender they were born with . Tentatively , then , it could be seen as the opposite of transgender .
Demigender
A catchall term for all identities that only have a partial connection to a certain gender . Demiboy and demigirl are also frequently used .
Femme
Used by and for anybody who identifies as feminine , but more commonly associated with feminine-identifying gay women .
Genderfluid
A term describing individuals for whom gender is unfixed : they fluctuate between different identities aside from their biological assignment .
Gender neutral
A synonym for ‘ agender ’: somebody who identifies with no gender .
Gender queer
An umbrella term covering any feelings about gender alternative to society ’ s traditional expectations .
Intergender
One of the oldest ( and thus often deemed outdated ) terms , this is used by anybody whose gender identity is between male and female . Some believe intergender should only refer to those born with different genitals to the norm , though this is more commonly known as ‘ intersex ’.
Nonbinary
Fairly simply , anybody who doesn ’ t identify as simply female or male .
Polygender
Identifying with several different genders either at the same time or different times . Normally the term is given to those with four or more .
Transgender / Trans
An umbrella term for any individual whose gender identity is different from what is typically associated with their assigned biological sex at birth . It should be noted that transgenderism is a gender identity and not a sexual orientation , therefore no assumptions should be made as a result . p
January - March 2018 SHARE | MAGAZINE | 27